Beyond The Veil
by sarenelsoria
Summary: Unspeakable Lily Evans receives letters from someone she thinks is a dead e finds that he is in fact writing her from a alternate reality and decides to step through the veil. She is greeted on the other side by a world that is not what she is used to and
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Lily stared as the veil flashed silver a moment, before a thick stack of papers came through from the other side. Lily stared at the papers in astonishment, not certain what they were or what they might mean. She took a step forward then another one, before removing her crook, in order to get the papers out from the mouth of the veil. She had no desire to step forward into something that might kill her, she had been warned of the danger of the veil on the first day. Most believed it to be connecting the living to the dead, but Lily wasn't so certain of that. She held a stack of what appeared to be five letters, all addressed to her, though it seemed like someone had cried on them, Lily touched one and found it to still be wet with what could only be tears. There were other splotches that were older by far, Lily set them on the table and started to read.

 _My dearest Lily,_

 _if only you knew how much I loved you. How my heart will ever be only yours. We graduated Hogwarts together today, you were the most beautiful of those in our year. I watched as you hugged_ ** _Him_** _tightly to you before going up onto the stage. It seems that I am cursed to forever watch you at a distance, never touching, never being touched. I suppose that it is my own fault and sometimes I wonder at what could have been, if I had not tried to ensure that the old ways would continue. If I had not tried to make friends other then you, would you still have left me for calling you that name? Perhaps it does not matter after all, you are beyond such things. I am now an Unspeakable, they recruited me just out of school, I am also a death eater, but you must have presumed that already. I do not know how the Dark Lord will accomplish what he means to, as there seems to be very little planning involved in the attacks. I suppose that I must have faith that he knows best._

Lily stared at the letter and frowned, that sounded like Severus but Severus was dead, he had died in ensuring that the He Who Must Not Be Named would be defeated, he had been the one to kill Voldemort and now he was a hero, a dead hero but a hero none the less. Lily didn't like the awe people used when talking of Snape, he was her childhood confidant, the man that Lily had once had a crush on, before he changed into something so different from the boy she remembered that she didn't recognize him at all. She hesitated a moment before opening another letter, there were five left in the stack.

 _Lily today I heard a prophecy, you might be overjoyed at the thought of the dark lords defeat but I am not. Still the thought of taking this to him, of allowing him to harm an infant sends shudders down my spine. I need his influence, his power, his strength and I need the respect of others. I know what you would do if you were in my place, but we have always been two different people despite our similarities. You would never harm an innocent child, even if it meant the difference between life and death, I on the other hand will do just about anything in order to survive. I suppose that means that I will do what I must._

Lily stared at the letter, she wished she could tell him not to do so, but the prophecy was different then it was in her world. There had been nothing about a baby, but it had rather pointed to Severus in a rather glaring way, to the point in which he had the choice in either dying at the hands of the death eaters, or attempting to take Voldemort out with him. Severus had lost all enchantment with the Dark Lord at that point and took him down in a blaze of glory and fiendfire. Lily had wondered if it would have somehow been possible for him to live.

 _Its you Lily, the prophecy could be about you! I have killed you and Potter, though Potter can rot in hell. I have doomed you and your baby to die at the hands of the Dark Lord. I have no choice but to switch loyalties in the hope that I might save you. That somehow the Dark Lord or working for the Order will spare your life . I had never intended to put you in any danger, to harm you in any way. I suppose that Fate has yet again decided to play a cruel trick on me, the fates never liked me after all. I can't escape the thought that I have killed you and your little boy. I know that you will never forgive me and I will never forgive myself._

Lily stared at the letter, as it grew blurry and her eyes filled with tears. Of course Severus would blame himself, even though it wasn't his fault at all. She looked at the veil with new eyes, perhaps it wasn't a gateway to death as everyone thought, but rather other realms. Lily had never had children, had never even slept with a man, she was too busy with her studies for that. In any event the only men that had ever truly shown a interest in her had seemed totally unsuitable to her. She wondered if the portal was just between two worlds or more then two and hesitated a moment, before she finished the other two letters and stared at them as she read, what they contained was absolutely devastating and she could feel his pain.

 _Today I was able to hold you him my arms, to kiss your still warm skin. To feel the life leave your body, when you were alive you were more alive then anyone that I had ever met. I knew the instant I went into the nursery that you were no longer on this plane, that you had gone on beyond it. Still I could not stop myself from holding you one last time, my beautiful flower. I held you as your son screamed in his cradle, held a dead woman, instead of taking care of a small boy that still lived. Sirius came to the nursery and stared at me, before taking Harry away with him. All I could do was focus on your warmth, to feel it slowly ebb away, to hold you to me as you turned cold. In the end, it was Dumbledore who had to pull you from my arms, to hold me in his as I cried as I hadn't cried since I was a child of six. You were my everything and now you are_ ** _gone._**

Lily stared at the letter, there had been nothing left of Severus nothing for her to hold onto, nothing for her to bury. Instead she had witnessed his death, had nightly nightmares of him being engulfed in that fire. Had watched as his screams and the Dark Lords rose up and faded to nothing a moment later. She had known that he was dead and nothing would ever bring him back then. She had helped others to control the fire, Severus with his flare for the dramatic had to put the flames in the middle of Diagon Ally. She laughed at the thought, though it turned to a sob. It was ironic that it wasn't until it was too late for her and him, that she truly realized what she had in her heart was more than a school girl crush.

 _Today I was cleared of all charges, Dumbledore ensured that I escaped being sent to Azkaban. He said that it was only fair considering what I had done to try to save the Potters. What I had done was nowhere near enough, I should have saved you and James. I should have saved Harry from growing up without parents, but I didn't I couldn't. I hope these letters reach you, beyond the veil, that perhaps you could forgive me in death when you couldn't in life. I knew you hated me, but you could not loathe me more than I loath myself. I couldn't stand to look at these letters anymore regardless, I couldn't stand to be reminded of the pain of them anymore, of how I loved you and how you were stolen from me. I shall remain ever yours, Severus Snape_

Lily stared at the letter for a moment, pausing before deciding on a course of action. She walked up to the veil and stepped through it. A wind howled and voices surrounded her at all sides, she felt pulled in a thousand different directions but it would be worth it to see Severus again. It felt like forever before she stepped out through the other side and stared at Severus who's eyes were wide with shock, before they rolled up to the back of his head and he fainted. Lily was only able to stop his head cracking on the ground with a quick spell from her wand. She then ran to him, clutching him to her and never wishing to let go. It had worked, somehow the veil had transported her to another reality.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Lily stared down at Severus, he was much too thin and his skin was very pale. Then alarms sounded and Lily groaned, before disillusioning herself as people came running from all around. Of course people would respond to the alarms that sounded whenever someone didn't register at the front desk. Lily went through the portal and so she couldn't have registered there, not to mention being in the Department of Mysteries while not working there was grounds for imprisonment. Not to mention what they would do to her when they discovered that she had gone through the portal and was from another dimension entirely.

She stared at Severus one last time, before quickly going down the hall and making her way out of the Department of Mysteries. She didn't know what she should do, or where she should go, in this reality she was supposed to be dead, unless no one had checked her body? Yes if no one had made sure that it was Lily Potter that had died, then she stood a chance of resuming her identity. She was uncertain if it was best to tell the truth, as she shuddered at the thought of being questioned by the other Unspeakables. They were known as Unspeakable for a reason, Lily liked to think that the group wouldn't torture her for traveling through dimensions in order to get information on how it occurred. She would like to think that, but as an Unspeakable herself she knew that anything was possible when it came to that organization.

However for now she would need some very strong glamours and gold if she were to survive. She quickly made her way to the bathrooms and applied liberal glamours to herself. She had always been quite good at glamours; in fact it was her ability with them and her love of spell casting and spell invention, which had made her a candidate for the Unspeakables in the first place. She stepped through the bathroom as a blond haired, blue-eyed witch, with a slightly bigger nose and no freckles. It was enough to ensure people wouldn't recognize her, as no one expected Lily to be walking around Diagon Alley unless she missed her guess.

She went to Gringotts next, on the off chance that the spell that connected the magic to her hand and blood would work. She was surprised to discover that it did in fact work and knew that the goblins wouldn't reveal who she truly was. She went to the vault that the goblin took her to and stared a moment in shock at the amount of gold that was inside. She filled a large bag, before securing it to her robes and walked away from the vault.

Her next stop was a luggage carrier where she purchased a trunk with four rooms including a kitchen, brewing room which doubled as her spell casting room, library and a bedroom which had a small bathroom and paid extra for the rooms to be connected by doors. Most wizards and witches didn't live out of trunks as it was considered to be too uncomfortable, but Lily had been fond of their practicality and not having to pay rent on a room elsewhere. Her trunk if turned sideways could fit into her locker at work and people had looked the other way, as Lily was a hard and determined worker. She also bought a bottomless place for books and other odds and ends she wanted to store that wouldn't fit into her living quarters. She wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to do long term, but at least she had a place to stay for now, as long as she could rent out a storage cabinet somewhere.

She took her trunk and walked to Madam Malkin's surprised at how similar this reality was to her own. There were stores that had closed down in her reality that were open here and she passed places that she'd never heard of, but other then that it was all very similar to the post war society Lily had become accustomed to. Having enough money to spend on a wardrobe she bought a full witches wardrobe explaining that most of her things had to be left behind after she fled during the war. She even bough a beautiful formal dress in case she would ever have a need for it. The next stop was the used bookseller in Knockturn Alley; where she bought tombs on alternate realities, spell casting and potions. She fit the books into her trunk and tired from her day of shopping apperated to Spinster's End, she had shocked poor Severus, but perhaps she could keep her trunk there for a time. She knew Severus in any reality to be an honorable if complicated man and one that wouldn't spill her secrets.

She opened the door to Severus' house using the key that had been left to her in his will. Severus had left everything to Lily and that had surprised Lily at the time, but now she supposed that he had done so because he had loved her. She had loved him too, or at least had loved him as the boy he had been and knew only when he sacrificed himself that a part of that boy remained. Perhaps the Severus in this reality too, had part of her first love still in him. That was why it hurt so much when he had called her a Mudblood, if she hadn't had feelings for him, if he had been just a friend, perhaps she would have forgiven him that summer, when he apologized. Instead she had been furious that it had taken two months for him to apologize. She decided that it would be worth trying at least, as his words had touched her heart. She didn't know what manner of man to expect, as she dissolved the glamour.

She felt tired, so she climbed into her trunk and into the bed she had bought. She fell asleep and was only woken when she heard the floo open. She waited until she heard Severus leave the room, before opening the trunk and closing it behind her. She snuck up behind him and quickly cast a pertificus totalous. He stiffened and fell to the floor wide eyed, as Lily walked up to him and smiled softly at him, his eyes grew wide again and he stared at her wide eyed.

"Hello Severus, can you promise not to cast a spell at me, if I release the one I cast on you?" Lily asked. "Blink once if you agree." Severus blinked and Lily smiled as she released the spell she had cast on him.

"How?" Severus said and Lily smiled.

"I got your letters and well there wasn't in my reality that I couldn't do in this one. The Severus in my reality died a hero, making me realize that he and perhaps you have not entirely changed from the boy I once knew. Your letters gave me enough hope to decide that it was at least worth trying.

"You are from an alternate reality?"

"The letters you sent didn't reach the woman you intended to contact, I suspect the two realities split some time in our Hogwarts years, or just after as I never married anyone and have no children. Considering that you and Lily were not together when she died and I suspect not friends, it must have been after fifth year. I suspect it was when the other Lily decided to date and marry someone and I determined that I wished to focus first upon my studies of the magical arts."

"Magical arts?" Severus asked faintly and Lily smiled.

"I am a Unspeakable, as are you, so you understand the desire to search for knowledge."

"Yes...I do... You are a Unspeakable?" Severus asked and Lily smiled, the poor man looked shocked and Lily took him by the hand, helping him off the floor and into a chair.

"I am, it was a bit of a shock for me as well, I ran head first into another dimension and I've been running around all day trying to get together what I needed to live here. I haven't had the time to really think about what has happened. I suppose I've been running full tilt this entire time and acting like a true member of my house." Lily added and Severus smiled.

"Its amazing to speak with you again, like we used to." He said and Lily smiled.

"I know what you mean." Lily said, before finding a half empty bottle of firewhiskey beside the chair and pouring Severus a glass. "You look like you could use a drink, I could too for that matter. Tomorrow I'll have to think about what I'm going to do with my life, do you know what happened to her son?"

"I didn't think to ask about the boy." Severus admitted and Lily nodded.

"The child shares my blood and although he didn't come from my body, he's still my son. I have the same blood and even fingerprints as the Lily from this reality, who did she marry." Lily asked taking a sip of her drink.

"Potter." Severus said and Lily spit out the firewhiskey she had just swallowed.

"That asshole?" Lily demanded. "Was she particularly thick?"

"He changed from how he used to be, after saving me from being mauled by a werewolf. Though I didn't see much difference others did and that was enough to convince her to allow him to court her."

"So that's where it changed, somehow my Severus avoided being attacked, because James Potter was always a poncy bark in my reality." Lily said and Severus laughed as she too another gulp of firewhiskey and her stomach rumbled. "Dam I forgot to buy food with everything else and all I have is galleons. Do you know of a restaurant I could go to in the wizard world that would be open now?"

"The Leaky Cauldron, Brialbrees, Fortescues and Celestara are open. Brialbrees is formal dining, as is Celestarta and..."

"I know what the Leaky and Fortescues are like, I feel like some every flavor ice and perhaps something more substantial, I'll be back soon." Lily said and smiled at Severus. "Would you either like to come with, or me to bring you back something. Also I was wondering if I might stay here for now, until I find somewhere else to stay. I wouldn't take up a room, as I have all I need in my trunk."

"You may stay as long as you wish, I will see as to where the boy was placed. You can then decide what you wish to do with the child."

"I don't have the slightest idea of how to care for a child, if he is happy where he is perhaps he could stay there for now at least. I would hate for him to get used to more strangers in such a short time." Lily said and frowned. "I don't even know if I'd be any good at being a mother anyway."

"Lily Potter was a wonderful mother and you would be as well." Severus said and Lily smiled.

"Thank you Severus." Lily said. "If you could wait here a moment, I'd like to change, using face glamour is enough of a challenge without glamouring my robes as well."

"That would be agreeable." Severus said and Lily opened her trunk, going down to her bedroom and changing into a pretty green dress, which was informal but elegant. She put on a lighter green sweater over it and braided her hair. She then walked from the trunk and noticed Severus eying it curiously.

"Its a four room trunk, I find that what is spent on buying it is much cheaper then renting out an apartment, within a year I'll make back what I spent on it."

"Clever, if you wouldn't mind I would like a tour someday."

"I'd be glad to show you it after we eat." Lily said and Severus nodded. They walked together to just outside the house before apparating. They arrived at an apparition point by Fortescues. "Do you think I should inform people about what happened?" Lily asked Severus.

"People might view you oddly, but I don't think you will run into any great trouble. Others have come from other dimensions before though how wasn't clearly recorded." Severus told her and Lily frowned.

"Are you certain."

"Quite though I wouldn't mention the means of your travel." Severus said and Lily nodded.

They settled at a quiet table at Fortescues and ordered their food. The sandwiches were as ever large and delicious and Lily devoured her, before ordering a large sundae. "Haven't eaten all day, actually I can't remember the last time I had food, I get absorbed in my work and then I don't eat."

"I know what that is like." Severus said and smiled, ordering several scoops of dark chocolate ice cream. "So what have you been doing since Hogwarts?"

"My specialization is in spell creation, I like working out complicated spells and finding new methods of casting old spells. Spell casting as you know is one of the more dangerous magical arts, so I decided that I would apprentice with the Unspeakables with a specialization in Spell Casting and Potions."

"Potions really?"

"Yes, though my second mastery was much harder then the first and I considered getting a mastery in Charms as well." Lily replied and smiled at Severus. "So what about you, what's your specialties?"

"Potions and Spell casting as well." Severus said and Lily laughed.

"No!" She said and he smiled.

"Its true, after you inspired me to create my own spells, I decided to go for a second mastery as well." Severus said. "I like Spell Casting, I just prefer to focus on Potions."

"I feel the same, only with Spell Casting as my focus." Lily said and dug into her desert. "Should we get more firewhiskey for the house?"

"I have a few more bottles in the house and I'm taking the day off tomorrow to help you get used to the new reality that you have come to."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to and I would be unable to focus with you going about trying to get used to where you are now without anyone to help." Severus said and Lily patted his hand.

"Thank you Severus, you are a good friend." Lily said and Severus stared at where their hands met.

"So you came back in order to resume your friendship with me?" Severus asked and Lily could see the hurt in his eyes.

"I need to get used to this reality and we need to know one another better before I'd feel comfortable being more than just friends." Lily replied and he nodded.

"I suppose that, that is sensible." Severus said and when the waiter came he paid for their meal. Lily knew better then to try to pay for the food herself. For Severus it was a matter of pride and she didn't want to deal with prickly Severus now.

They walked from the restaurant and Lily hesitated a moment, before sticking her chilly hand in his. "My hands are cold." She said and he nodded.

"You were always fond of sticking them on me to warm them." Severus said.

"And you never minded because you lived in that ice box that some call the Slytherin dorms." Lily replied and Severus laughed.

"It wasn't that bad with the fireplaces, but Merlin the stones were cold in the morning. I convinced my roommates to buy a large rug and it was better after that, but those stones were horrid on bare feet." He said and Lily laughed. They walked back to the apparition point together and apparated to the back garden in Severus' home.

Lily walked inside and sat down in one of the armchairs, before drinking a swig of the firewhisky, Severus followed her and took the other chair, before pointing his wand at the fireplace and lighting it.

Lily sighed and drank several more glasses of whiskey, as did Severus. "So you drink to forget as well?" Severus finally asked and Lily nodded.

"I saw people I cared about die, the screams haunt me." Lily replied and she downed what was left in the glass. "I use sleeping spells in order to sleep at night, but I find that they are more effe-efeec, useful that way." She said and frowned. "I think I've had enough."

"What spells do you use, I haven't heard of sleeping spells only potions."

"That's because I made them up." Lily said and grinned. "I'd offer to teach you, but then you or I would be asleep."

"Could you cast it on me?" Severus asked and Lily nodded.

"Of course." Lily said and pulled out her wand.

"In bed, I don't want to sleep in this chair." Severus said and Lily giggled. She followed him to his bedroom and laughed again.

"This is so you Sev, I love it! Though it would be nice if you put a bit of color in here."

"There's silver in the accents." Severus said and Lily smiled, as Severus crawled into the bed, before unbuttoning his robes and then his shirt. Lily blushed and looked away. "Sleeping in robes is uncomfortable." Severus explained and she nodded, as he unbuttoned his pants too. She hastily turned around. "I have under pants on, which are actual pants and I'm under the covers now." Severus said and Lily turned around and stared a moment.

Severus was settled in the bed lying down, the covers pulled up to his chin and she was reminded suddenly of the times he would spend the night at her house as a child, how she'd sneak into his room and he'd hold her close, whispering about the magical world, telling her amazing stories of what they would do together once they reached Hogwarts.

She also remembered how he would come to her, a little lost boy and ask her to help bandage her bruises and cuts, sometimes they were quite serious. Serious enough in fact that she had considered becoming a healer. He'd continued to come to her in Hogwarts and her heart had ached for him, as she had helped with the aftermath of the curses and jinxes he suffered.

Lily smiled softly before she raised her wand. "So..."

"Wait Lily I want to wish you good night first."

"Oh good night Severus, sleep well Solumnus." Lily said and his eyes fluttered for a moment before closing, as he started to snore. Lily smiled at the familiar buzzing snore he let out; it was the same noise he had made since he was a small boy.

She hesitated a moment before gently kissing his forehead and running a hand through his hair, she was about to leave, when he frowned and mumbled her name in his sleep. His hand coming up to try and grab at her. Unlike dreamless the potion didn't stop bad dreams, it only allowed for someone to sleep through the night. Lily ran a hand through his hair until he settled again and hesitated a moment before transfiguring her dress into a nightgown and her stockings into sleeping pants. She settled with one of the under sheets between them. She then wrapped an arm around him and cast the sleeping spell on herself.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Lily awoke to the feeling of hands gently running through her hair, she sighed and burrowed her face against the sheets and her pillow. She heard a low masculine chuckle and she smiled sleepily before yawning. "Good morning Severus, I was about to leave last night when you started to have a bad dream, I decided to stay with you, when we were younger I was able to keep the bad dreams away when I held you and I hoped that it might help you."

"You do not need to explain you are welcome to share my bed anytime you wish Lily." Severus said and Lily blushed burying her face against his chest again.

"I've never been with a man and would like to get to know you before we sleep together." Lily said and Severus continued to card his fingers through Lily's hair.

"I have ever only been with two women and two men, at the behest of the Dark Lord, I found none of my partners to be pleasant ones and claimed to have no interest in either sex to get out of having to be with another again." Severus admitted and Lily moved her head quickly to look at him, noticing the shadows in his eyes.

"Oh Sev, he's gone, he's never coming back." Lily said and kissed Severus on the cheek.

"I have only ever felt true attraction for those that I think of as close friends." Severus said and Lily stared at him in surprise. "First I was attracted to you, then for a very short amount of time Lucius Malfoy, before I realized what a fool he was and how he was only pretending to enjoy my company."

"You liked a wizard?" Lily asked and Severus stiffened. "There's nothing wrong with that, and I can see the appeal Lucius definitely has that bad boy thing going on. I overheard some of the older girls at Hogwarts talking about Lordship tokens and how Lucius could bend them over and spank them with his cane any day." She giggled and smiled when Severus laughed, she always liked Severus' laugh it was deep and clear, it sent shivers down her spine. She had been shocked when his voice changed to become so silky and smooth, she had a few dreams about him as a schoolgirl that was for certain.

"Yes but again it was only Lucius and only for about a month. Then I got over my crush on him, when I realized that he sought only to use me. However by then it was too late and I had already joined the Dark Lord. He made me believe that the only way I would get true power was by joining with him. We are still friends, as much as any Slytherins can be, but I could never trust him enough for a true relationship. He made me his son's godfather and I see them every few weeks for dinner at their manor."

"How old is his son?"

"He's the same age as Harry."

"And that would be the child of my counterpart, how old is Harry."

"He is sixteen months now, its been a month since...since..." Lily could see how Severus attempted to regain his composure. She patted his hand.

"Its alright Severus, I won't judge you." Lily said and kissed his forehead. "Remember what I told you when you were a little boy, that it was alright to be upset and keeping your emotions inside does more harm than good?" Lily asked and patted him on the back as Severus started to cry, rubbing gently as she did so.

"Its all my fault."

"From the letter you wrote me, it seems that you didn't know that it was Lily. Although you did put an innocent child in danger, you didn't have much choice in doing so, because the Dark Lord would know that you were hiding something. Once he knew you were holding something back from him, nothing would stop him from getting the information you kept back, even your death. There were also other people that could have overheard that Prophesy I think, though you didn't say where you were when you heard it."

"I wish I died in her place, that it was me instead of her." Severus said.

"Oh Sev, don't you think I feel the same sometimes? That I haven't wished that I could have saved my Severus from his fate? The fates are not always kind, regardless of the dimension. They seem to take much more than give, but they both made their choice, as did I. I chose to go to you, knowing that you would most probably love another version of me more than you loved me. I chose you over my world that seemed empty without him. At least you knew, you knew that you loved her, that she was good, strong and kind till the very end. Don't wish to die in her place, because that makes her sacrifice be in vain. Lily would not have wanted you to blame yourself, I know because I would never want you to blame yourself. It was not your fault Severus." Lily said and Severus turned his face away as tears rolled down his cheeks. Then not being able to bare it anymore, he turned from her and she sighed. "If you wish me to leave I will Severus, I'll go cook breakfast." She said and he nodded, Lily got up trying to resist crying herself.

She went to the kitchen and looked through the nearly barren kitchen, the only thing Severus had enough ingredients for was pancakes. She hadn't made pancakes in a very long time. During the war she hadn't felt like it and afterward if it wasn't for her minders at her job, she wouldn't have thought to eat she'd been so miserable that all she wanted to do was bury herself in her research projects. Minders were a necessity for the Unspeakable, there were in fact two types of Unspeakable, those that researched about the magical world and did experiments and those that took care of them. Unspeakable were some of the most brilliant people that the wizarding world had to offer, but they could also be absent minded at times. Those that were brilliant sometimes weren't very good at caring for themselves, when they got involved in a project that fascinated them. The minders made sure that the other Unspeakable remembered such things as eating and getting enough rest. Most grew to trust and sometimes even love their minders, it wasn't uncommon for those that were assigned to each other to marry. Instead of discouraging such relationships, those in charge of the department encouraged them, as it made those that experimented be more careful and their minders watch more closely.

Lily found the old radio and turned on the wireless, she hummed along with Celestina Warbuckle. She liked most of the music from the wizard world, as a child she had listened raptly to the wireless and the memory of days spent making pies with Mrs. Snape and listening to the wireless were some of her happier memories. Her parents loved her and were proud of what she could do, but they didn't understand her like Severus and his mother did. At the Snapes, she felt like she belonged for the first time, but she always had to be home by five, before Mr. Snape came back from work.

She finished the batter and started to pour them into the pan, as she finished the first batch Severus walked in and Lily smiled at him. She nodded towards the coffee pot, which she had started when she walked into the kitchen. "I made coffee, but do you prefer tea?"

"I like both just fine, in fact I switch between drinking tea and coffee in the mornings, can't wake up properly without a cup of something hot and highly caffeinated." Severus said and Lily laughed, remembering seeing him as a boy at breakfast at the Great Hall, he'd always been half awake and nearly dozed off into his porridge. Lily had suspected that the only reason he ate porridge in the morning was that it was the easiest thing to eat out of the food offered.

"I remember from school, you never were one for mornings." Lily said and passed him a plate and a steaming cup of coffee. Lily then sat down opposite him and ate her own breakfast. She was used to the silence in the room, Severus preferred not to talk at meals, particularly breakfast. As for her, she found herself thinking of different spells and either making a mental note for later if they might be possible, or rejecting them if she believed that she could never get the mechanics to work. "I would like to see my sister today, to explain what happened."

"Are you sure Lily? Your sister has always..."

"I know, but she's my sister, we were getting on fine, when I left." Lily replied. "It took a lot of effort, on both sides, but it was worth it. I got to know her husband Vernon and her little boy Dudley, they aren't the most tolerant of people, but everyone has that one relative." Lily shrugged and Severus frowned.

"Last time I heard she was living at Number 4 Privet Drive." He said and Lily smiled, that was the same addressing that her sister had lived at. Lily apparated into a hollowed out bush, by Petunia's house. She stepped up to the door and stopped a moment. Inside she heard a child screaming, not the normal childish tantrums, she was used to. No these screams were that of terror, without thinking she unlocked the door and ran to where the sound came from. She stared down at the dirty little boy, who made grabby hands at her.

"MAMMA!" He cried and without a moment of hesitation, she scooped the child up into her arms, just as her sister came around the corner a bottle in her hand and stared open mouthed at Lily.

"How could you do this to Harry?" Lily demanded.

"You are dead, how is this possible?" Petunia demanded.

"You should know by now, that magic makes many things possible. I had thought to get to know you, the person you are in this reality. Still if you would terrify a little boy, the way you have Harry, I find that I have no desire to know you."

"The feeling is mutual, I don't know how this happened, but you should leave me and my family alone." She said, putting a protective hand over her stomach.

"If you do the same." Lily replied. "If however either of your children wind up being able to cast spells, I would be happy to help."

"My children won't be freaks like you are." Petunia glared at her and Lily tried not to hex the woman, as Harry trembled in her arms. Instead she turned around and left the house, marching away quickly. Petunia did not stop her, knowing that if she tried, Lily would curse her. Lily was prone to bursts of more powerful than usual accidental magic.

She walked with Harry in her arms, remembering that you weren't supposed to apparate with children. Instead she cast a feather light charm on the boy and stuck her wand out. The Night Bus came within moments, she was glad that their route was on time. She smiled at the conductor, before paying her fee and getting aboard. She sat down and cuddled the crying boy. The child cried until he exhausted himself and Lily smiled down at him. She stepped off the bus and walked to the middle of town. Everyone in the street stopped and stared and she put her shoulders back. She needed to be alive, in order to care for the small toddler in her arms. That she would need to go about the streets of Diagon Alley, without having to worry about not being seen. If she was seen in a public place, perhaps then she would not have to worry about the Unspeakable.

She stared at the people around her, before speaking. "I am Lily Evans, Unspeakable Second Class, I have come here from another dimension. I will be taking care of my son Harry and demand to speak with those responsible for placing him with my sister, a woman who in any reality despises anything to do with magic."

"How did you arrive?" A Unspeakable questioned.

"Through the veil, I received a letter intended for another and decided that I would go through the portal, for personal reasons. I took a leap of faith, based in the conjecture that I would arrive where I was meant to. I do not know how the veil works, anymore than any other Unspeakable, I do not know how to return to my own reality, so I will be staying in this one." Lily stated. "I will not be interrogated and as I was never officially on the payroll, I do not owe anything to the Unspeakable of this reality. My vows to give my research and anything I might produce to the Unspeakable are no longer valid and I would like to file several spell patents." She said and everyone stared at her, she smiled slightly, as the cameras clicked, taking picture after picture of her. After Severus had died, it had somehow gotten out that they had once been very good friends. She had been dogged by reporters and had gotten quite good at dodging questions and not reporting the full truth. "Now if you excuse me, I have a toddler that has been through hell to take care of." She said and turned towards a store that used to sell baby products and formula, only to discover that it was now some sort of imports and exports store. She whirled around and came face to face with a young mother, carrying a little girl.

"Hello dear, I couldn't help but overhear. If you want any help with young Harry, or anything, you need only ask. I am Pandora Lovegood and this is my daughter Luna, she's about a year younger than your son. "

"Thank you Mrs. Lovegood, do you happen to know where a baby store is, the one I was familiar with, is one of the ones that is simply not here in this reality."

"There's one up the road a bit, just keep walking and you should find it easily enough." Mrs. Lovegood said and Lily smiled.

"Thank you." Lily said and walked into the store, Harry was sleeping against her, exhausted from his ordeal. She took out a cart and strolled through the isles picking up supplies for Harry. She bought a crib, as well as several stuffed animals and a variety of baby food. She also bought some magical learning toys, little cauldrons that let out sounds as you put the "ingredients" into them and a set of magical hole and block games, which would change color and shapes each time it was used. She then looked through a variety of baby clothes, smiling at the cute designs. She chose the ones she wanted, surprised at how many she found she needed. Someone at the register had told her the proper size, so she had bought some of those and some several sizes up. She then placed the packages on the counter and the man rang her up. She paid for the supplies and bought some floo powder and went through one of the fires. She appeared in Severus' home and Severus stared at her and Harry.

"What did she do to him?" Severus demanded.

"I don't know, but I found him in a small cupboard under the stairs." Lily replied and Severus took the supplies from her. She walked with Harry to the bathroom and ran a bath for him. She gently woke the boy and helped him take off his soiled clothing. Harry had a horrible diaper rash and there were little bruises on his body. He looked scared for a moment, as she put him in the warm water, with two bath toys. She'd given Dudley baths before and so she started to gently wash the boy. The child stared at the bobbing toys, if not knowing what to do. "Those are Harry's toys." Lily said and the child smiled at her, before starting to play.

"Quack quack Mama!"

"Quack, quack little duckling." Lily said and smiled at the child, she was now a mother, for Harry was hers even though she had never had a child. The child looked exhausted, but was staring up at her, smiling. She tended to him gently and carefully, until the little boy was clean. She then pulled him from the water and gently dried him with the towel. She then walked with him to where she had put the things she had bought at the store.

She then picked him up and held him in her arms. "Ba ba Mama." He said and Lily smiled softly.

"We're getting your bottle Harry." She said and stroked his baby soft hair. He sighed and nestled against her, she picked up the bottle and the formula, casting the spell the man at the counter had taught her, she watched as it warmed and filled with milk. She put the bottle in Harry's mouth, watching as he sucked greedily at the milk, his little hands grasping at it, taking deep pulls. She filled another bottle with formula and sat with him in the rocking chair that Eileen had loved. She rocked the small boy back and forth, watching as Harry finished the bottle and she refilled it with formula, after the second bottle, his eyes drifted shut and he fell asleep. She stared down at the sleeping little boy and Severus came over to her, staring down at Harry.

"You are keeping him?" Severus asked and Lily nodded.

"He's mine, I can't explain it, but he's mine." Lily stated, stroking Harry's baby soft curls.

"I understand." Severus said. "If it had been me, if I had been the one to go to another reality and found a child that had my face, that needed me, I would do as you have done." Severus said and Lily smiled at him.

"Thank you for everything Severus, for understanding, for letting into your home. For seeing what might grow between us and for accepting Harry into your home." She said and the little boy whimpered in his sleep. "Its alright Harry, Mama is here." She said gently and rocked him gently, until he settled against her. She smiled softly looking down at the little boy in her arms. She then realized that Severus had been watching her. She cast a silence charm over Harry, a charm that she had made so that Dudley wouldn't hear his parents and her talking and wake up early from his nap. She'd been given quite the bonus for that spell, when she had completed it. She smiled softly at the little boy, then turned to Severus. "Could you get me a book?"

"On spell work, or potions?" Severus asked and Lily smiled.

"Either one." She replied and Severus grabbed a book off the shelf, as Lily shifted Harry, so his head was more comfortably positioned against her arm. She took the book from Severus and started to read, she was half way through, four hours later when the child stirred. As he woke Lily smiled down at him. "Hello Harry, did you have a good nap?" She asked and the little boy nodded.

"Down!" He said. "Potty." He said and Lily set him down, helping him find the bathroom. She wiped him after he was done and helped him get his clothes back on. She then set up the playpen and let him play with his new toys, he'd occasionally look over to her and she would smile reassuringly at him. She wrote in Severus' journal, the spells she had made and how the invocations worked and the wand movements and words used to call them forth. Once a spell was called, it would work from then on, no one knew why that was, still the work involved to get it to that point was long and hard.

She finished writing down her spells and their uses, before turning to Harry. "Why don't we go out?" She asked the little boy and he nodded eagerly. Lily smiled at Harry, before picking him up. "Looks like Mummy forgot to buy you a pram, silly mummy."

"wahe Dada?"

"Dada had to go away, but I'm here." Lily told Harry and he nodded, the little boy was smart for his age and adorable. James Potter might be an arse, but he was a good-looking one. She then remembered Severus and saw that he was sitting in a chair, his eyes closed fast asleep. She wrote him a note and put it on the table for him. She then used a bit of his floo powder to floo out of the house. She carried Harry as it was easier than having him walk on his own.

She walked to the patent office and smiled at the clerk. "I'd like to file several spell patents." She said and he nodded. She took out her book and he stared at her spells open mouthed.

"Do these work here?" He asked astonished and she nodded.

"Ambelio." She said pointing to his pens and making them do a funny dance with the tip of her wand. Harry clapped his hands and watched as the pens danced around the table, until Lily released the spell, making them fall in the pattern of the Asare rune.

"Marvelous! The applications alone, though I suggest that you go to the bank and make a new account. You claimed to be Lily Evans, not Lily Potter and so you cannot access the late Mrs. Potter's accounts.

"Thank you for informing me of this." Lily said. "I will go to the bank at once."

"The goblins are a bit mad at you, they don't like being tricked."

"Well I wasn't going to rely upon the charity of others, I don't even know if I can get back, let alone if I wish to." Lily said.

"Is the war still on, where you are from?"

"No, but this little tyke wasn't even born." Lily said. "I hope I don't screw things up too badly, in caring for him."

"New parents always worry about that, you will do just fine. If the Potter boy wasn't alive, then who killed He Who Must Not Be Named?"

"A powerful sacrificial spell, the wizard that cast it, did not do as well as Harry here." She said and he nodded.

"Dark times those, well they are over now." He said and Lily frowned, she just remembered the Horcruxes that Severus had spent the better part of a year collecting. She had been in the order, but Severus had taken it into his head, that she'd never be safe in a world where Voldemort was alive, so he set about making sure that Voldemort died, once and for all.

"I need to speak with the Ministry." She frowned, Severus had written about his adventures and how he had come to destroy the Horcruxes. She had memorized that list of meaningless artifacts, artifacts that had cost a good man his life, along with the magic he had cast to save their world for once and all. She realized then that she couldn't tell the Aurors, if someone was still a supporter of He who must not be named, then it was possible that they could stop the artifacts from being destroyed. Luckily most of the more notable Death Eaters had to be undergoing a trial in order to maintain their guilt, or innocence.

She quickly went over to the bank and took care of opening another account, the goblins were displeased by her actions, but she mollified them somewhat with her knowledge of gobbledygook. She then used some floo powder and went to Mrs. Weasley's house. She stared as Mrs. Weasley held her at wandpoint for a moment.

"I need to do something, can you watch Harry? Its something very important, that simply cannot wait." She said and Mrs. Weasley nodded.

"Do you know when I can expect you back dear?"

"No I don't, I might not even make it back, under no circumstances is Harry to go back to my sister." Lily said and Mrs. Weasley nodded, Lily then apparated to the first Horcrux. The first four were relatively easy, however Lily had to cast an invisibility spell for the fifth. The spell was something a collogue of her's made and made a person both invisible and undetectable, for that reason it was only given to those that have sworn vows not to deliberately harm others, unless in self defense. Lily had simply overheard him say it one day and tried it for herself. While she could not reveal anything that was not her own work, unless she absolutely believed it necessary, she could still use it. She could even use it in public, which might lead to someone finding out about it anyway. She cast the spell and apparated to the Malfoy estate. Instantly alarms blared and she walked through the gardens and into the manor. She saw a scared Narcissia Malfoy clutch a blond haired child to her tightly, as she used the floo to escape the house. Then it was just a matter of avoiding the House Elves, until she reached Lucius' study and the book. She took it and placed it in the bag with the other artifacts, before going back out the way she came in. She then apparated to Gringotts, which was about to close today.

"I need to speak to bank manager Horich about something important, in private." Lily said and was shown to a room, with a middle-aged goblin inside it. "Honored Sir, may your gold overflow." She said.

"May your riches be many, what is this about?" He demanded. "You cannot order about the entire bank Mrs. Evans."

"I'm sorry, but I need to get into a vault that isn't mine, it's a matter of business." Lily said and he stared at her.

"What sort of business?"

"There's a piece of Voldemort's soul in the Lestrange Vault, or at least I believe there to be a piece of his soul there."

"I see and this effects the bank how?"

"He could get another body, Voldemort with another body would be bad for business and bad for the bank."

"What care we for the affairs of wizards?"

"Do you think he'd truly stop at muggleborns, half bloods and blood traitors? Do you truly believe that he will not also go after those magical beings that are intelligent enough to stand in his way? Voldemort seeks ultimate power, absolute power, above anything else. One piece missing from a soul might be enough to make a man a bit strange, well stranger than a dark wizard normally is. Still Voldemort kept cutting and cutting, until finally his soul was ripped into six pieces. All that's left of him is rage and a single minded purpose, to gain power however he can."

"I see considering what you said and considering that I am authorized to do so, I will allow you to look for this item in the Lestrange vault, while supervised."

"Thank you, I also need to set up an account."

"Indeed you do and the amount you took from Lily Potter's account will be withdrawn from your new account."

"That is only fair." Lily said and the goblin nodded, She was then escorted by a young goblin to the Lestrange vault. Lily opened it and saw the cup, she would never forget that blasted cup, or any of the other things Voldemort sought to stick his soul in, where it didn't belong. She took the cup and left once more. She bought a dark detector next, before going out into a field in the middle of nowhere and burning the Horcruxes with fiend fire. The screaming was horrible, but was also to be expected. she watched as it finished burning and apparated again, this time to Mrs. Weasley's house. The dark detector started going off the moment she landed. She ran to Harry, but the squealing sound it made only grew louder. She stared as the loudest sound was made right in front of the toddler, who started to cry at the noise. She looked at the child and then at his scar and brought out the dark detector, She cast a concentrating spell over them to get a more precise reading and settled them over her face, a intense black energy pulsated from the scar, there could be no doubt, somehow the scar was a Horcrux.

"You're back dear, what's that whistling sound." Mrs. Weasley said and Lily smiled at her in response.

"Yes, I'm just going to take Harry with me now. Its nothing to worry about really, just a alarm" She said and Mrs. Weasley nodded, Harry toddled over to her trustingly and she picked him up, she used the floo to go to the upstairs bedroom in Severus' house, she then apparated from there to a remote location she'd once camped at with her sister and parents. She cast the sleeping spell over Harry and he at once fell into a deep sleep, as she stared at the little boy, uncertain as to what she could do. That evil thing needed to be taken out of Harry, her mind thought of and rejected different ways to do it, until she settled on fiend fire and a concentration spell. She made the two spells together and felt the strong pull at her magic, she controlled little streams of fire now. She set them to the mark and watched as the darkness burned away, she then canceled the spell and stared at the child, who now had a very bad burn. She preformed every healing spell she knew, until finally the wound closed, leaving a scar that looked very much like the one the boy had before, if not a bit more red and angry.

She stared down at the sleeping child, wondering if it would be enough, if the little boy who had so much darkness in him, would wind up being a upstanding citizen, or would he choose Voldemort's dark path for his own. She stared at the sleeping child and saw no dark magic in him, she cradled the little boy to her gently, before apperating back to Severus' house and canceling the spell. She smiled down at the child who blinked up at her and started to cry, until he passed out. Lily stared at the little boy and realized that even though she might have healed him, that didn't stop the wound from hurting, she would have to take him to the hospital and explain what had happened in part.

The note was gone and Severus had replaced it with one of his own. _Lily, if you are to spend the day tending to your own affairs, I shall do the same by going in to work. I will see you at around six in the evening if all goes as expected, S.S_

Lily stared at the letter a moment, before grabbing the floo powder and using it to get to Saint Mungos. "I need spell damage." Lily said. "I closed the wound and healed it as best as I could, but he's still in pain."

"I'll be needing your name Mrs. as well as the..." The clerk trailed off as he stared at the boy. "That's Harry Potter."

"He's a little boy and he's suffering from fiend fire damage and possibly residual dark magic, though I think I got it all out of him." Lily said and the receptionist stared at her dumbstruck. "Well what are you waiting for, get me a Mediwizard now! Or I'll speak to your superior." She said and she was taken into a room with Harry.

"Mrs, while we treat the patient, do you consent to using veritiserum?" The mediwizard asked and Lily stared at the Auror.

"Yes, yes of course." Lily said. "As long as you both swear an oath that what I say will not leave this room, save to say that my tactics were necessary." She waited as she saw them both take the oaths and nodded, she then drained the bottle. "Back in my dimension, Voldemort was permanently destroyed by eliminating his Horcruxes. Horcruxes are essentially the nastiest form of dark magic there is, they allow the soul to be split, so that the person casting the spell has a sort of immortality. Anyway I realized that the way Severus went about things is different than what happened here, so I hunted down the Horcruxes and destroyed them. I bought a dark magic detector on my way back and altered it to give precise readings. There was a dark energy coming from Harry's scar, it was either some form of dark taint, or a Horcrux and I needed to destroy it. I took Harry with me to a place I once went to with my family and cast a sleeping spell, before using fiend fire with a concentrating spell on him. I then healed his burn as best I could and then apparated to the house of a friend. From there I removed the sleeping spell and realized that he was in a lot of pain. I determined that it was best to take him to Saint Mungos." She finished and the two wizards stared at her.

"What type of concentrating spell can be used to control fiend fire?" The Auror demanded.

"One that requires a vast amount of energy, the only reason I haven't collapsed do to magical exhaustion is that as my mother used to say, I'm too stubborn by half." Lily said and felt the ground shift beneath her. "I'm afraid you are going to have to wait in your questioning. I need a bed, before I collapse." Lily said and was taken over to the bed Harry was on, a moment later darkness overwhelmed her as she passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Lily could not open her eyes, her senses returned slowly. First she felt the blankets soft and slightly rough from washing so often. Then her hearing returned and she heard voices talking about her.

"I don't understand why she's not waking up!" Severus said angrily. "You canceled the healing trance on both of them over three weeks ago and Harry woke up just fine."

"Magical exhaustion is different than what Harry suffered from." The healer said. "Give it time and perhaps you should go home Sir, staying here won't do anything of use."

"Nothing of use! She's lying there, barely breathing and you tell me to go somewhere else." Severus said.

"Soon she will be transferred to the long term ward, she could snap out of it..." Lily lost the rest of what the healer said, as darkness claimed her once more.

The next time she was aware, was to hear the jabbering of someone, as someone else banged their head repeatedly against a cot. Throughout it all was the sound of Severus' snoring and the babyish sounds Harry made. She felt like she had more strength now, her magic had fully healed itself as she had a spell used to aide in the healing of magical exhaustion. Unfortunately in severe cases, it could last as much as two months. She blinked up at the ceiling stretching her fingers and toes. Her whole body felt incredibly stiff and sore. She sat up slowly and was reassured to see her wand on her bedside table. She was horribly thirsty, but she didn't like the dark circles under Severus' eyes. She cast a silencing spell and wondered briefly why there was no alarm sounding, considering that she was now up. She stood slowly, glad that magical monitors didn't have the wires that muggles did.

She walked through the ward, it was mid afternoon, judging from the sun outside the window, then she saw another patient and gasped. In beds next to each other, lay the Longbottoms. She had been a year behind them in school, but Alice had comforted her after her friendship with Severus had ended. She had been wailing about Severus being her best friend and she had said that they couldn't have been all that great of friends, if he would say such things about her and to her face. Rather than getting furious at her, Lily had seen her point and they had talked together late into the night. The next night was a Friday and so Alice had invited the younger girl into her dorm room. She had bought along her friend Harriet Hodgecome and together they had gossiped late into the night, gushing about the boys they liked and the boys that liked them and playing silly games. They had fallen asleep early that morning with a fast friendship formed between the seven girls. Such a friendship that when Marleen Mcknnon had been accepted into the Unspeakables, she had put Lily and Harriet's name forward as a candidate to join their order and their office. Lily had accepted at once, not knowing that the Unspeakables would become a way of life to her, more than just a job. She had become close to all her co-workers and they had become a sort of second family. A family that shared many secrets, for they could only discuss their projects with other Unspeakables. That family had been there, both when Marleen's family had been murdered and when Lily's own parents had died in a car crash.

The two girls had become closer than ever, suffering from their mutual loss. Together with Harriet they had made many new spells together, so many in fact that He Who Must Not Be Named stated that the Unspeakables were not to be touched, unless in self defense. The letter had come, black and very official stating that as long as they produced thirty new spells a year, he would leave both their families and the Unspeakables alone. That had prompted Lily to join the order, as He Who Must Not Be Named had not promised anything to other Muggleborns. She had become a trusted member in short order and although she did not like the attentions of James Potter anymore than when she was in school, she had put up with them. Now Alice was babbling about something or other and Frank was staring blankly at the ceiling. A mediwitch entered the ward and they both stared at each other.

"Harriet?" Lily demanded and the woman stared at her.

"You're awake." She said and smiled a wide smile. "Hello Lily." She added and the friendship and kindness in those words were plain.

"Were we friends, in this reality?"

"Of course we were friends, I was the one that convinced you to give James a chance, if he ever matured."

"Well that must have been where the split happened, you convinced me of no such thing in my reality. So you are a mediwitch?" Lily asked and Harriet nodded.

"Yes I'm given the difficult cases." Harriet said.

"So you never were asked to join the Unspeakables?" Lily asked and Harriet's eyes widened.

"No, I wasn't." Harriet said and Lily nodded.

"Now I remember, it must have been that prank we pulled on James and his friends in sixth year with Marleen that most likely drew the notice of the Unspeakables." Lily said and Harriet looked down. "She's...gone then?" Lily asked and Harriet nodded.

"She was killed with the rest of her family." Harriet said and Lily nodded.

"She survived in my reality, we were the best spell makers the Unspeakables had." Lily said proudly. "Actually there's some patents that I'd like to file with you. How long have I been asleep"

"I never did that work though, you have been in hospital for the past two months." Harriet said. "You shouldn't be up."

"I don't like to quibble semantics, especially when a unbreakable vow is involved. As the spells hold true, I can only imagine that the vows I swore are valid as well. As for my being up, I use a spell that is particularly helpful in regards to magical exhaustion. A spell that Unspeakables have cast upon them once they join."

"So you have to work for the Unspeakables?"

"They would not make anyone swear that, what if you were fired? Then you would loose your magic, simply because they fired you. Or if you wanted to quit, the forced work of wizards and witches has been outlawed since the fourteenth century." Lily stated and Harriet nodded.

"So I became an Unspeakable, I had thought about it, but the letter never came, where as I was accepted here."

"We were a great team." Lily said smiling at the memory. "Though occasionally we'd decide to make spells and do research on our own interests."

"Mrs. Hodgecome please come to the Ministry of Magic, there's been an accident on the Unspeakable floor." A howler interrupted them and Harriet smiled at Lily.

"Would you like to come along?" Harriet asked and Lily nodded, she cast the sleeping spell on Severus and Harry, she then wrote a quick note to Severus and turned to Harriet.

"You cast diagnosis spells on me, didn't you?"

"Yes and your cleared to leave." Harriet replied and Lily nodded, she cast moblicorpus on Severus and Harry, before going over to the floo and taking them home. Rather than try to navigate the stairs, she instead laid Severus on the couch and Harry fit quite easily into the armchair. She looked once more at their sleeping faces, before she apparated to the lower levels of the ministry. She stared at the unconscious witch and wizard. At Marleen Mckinnon and smiled, her friend had decided to do as Lily had done and make her way to another reality.

Harriet was caring for both the wizard who Lily now recognized as her mentor within the order of Unspeakables, though he seemed to be better cared for in this reality. Perhaps his wife was still alive then, as he'd not stopped truly caring for himself until after she was killed. Lily, Marleen and Harriet made sure that he ate and actually slept, but beyond that he was too lost in his pain and grief to do much.

"She came out of the portal as Jameson was going to run some tests upon it. They crashed right into each other and smacked their heads right good on the concrete." Harriet nodded and continued to work on both of them, until finally Marleen stirred and Lily rushed to her.

"Marie! Marie are you alright?" Lily demanded and Marleen looked slightly dazed, as she smiled up at Lily.

"I wanted to follow you, I thought maybe wherever you went, and my family would still be alive there." Marleen said.

"I'm sorry Marleen, but they aren't." Lily said and Marleen nodded.

"I see, well I'm not trying that again." Marleen said and Lily laughed, hugging Marleen.

"I wouldn't suggest it, I'm not going back even if it was possible."

"I see and you've joined the Unspeakables?" Marleen asked.

"Actually I haven't, I decided that my work would be better in the private sector, though the Lily in this dimension has a small son, so I won't be doing quite the same spells." Lily said and Marleen nodded.

"It makes sense, perhaps we could partner?" Marleen asked and Lily grinned.

"I'd love that." Lily said. "So they will be alright?"

"Fine, it was a nasty knock to the head, so I'd like to take them in for monitoring overnight, but they should be fine." Harriet said and Lily nodded, they went back to the hospital together and Marleen turned to Lily.

"Can you file our patents?" She asked and Lily grinned.

"Of course, though Harriet is being stubborn."

"When isn't she?" Marleen said and Harriet glared at her.

"I'm not taking what I haven't earned."

"But we can't file it without you, it would be one thing if you were dead, but you aren't. In order to file a third of our work, we need you to agree to have your name on the patent." Marleen stated and Harriet stared at them.

"Alright, you can file my work then." Harriet said and both witches nodded. "But I'm not quitting my job, to see you tinker with spells."

"We wouldn't expect you to." Lily said kindly. "You are needed here." She added and Harriet nodded, she then went to the patent office and wrote down the spell laying work she'd done with Harriet and Marleen. She finished and passed the book to the patent office clerk. Now each time someone used the spell she'd created she'd receive a knut and three knuts for her own work. She had made it so that the Ministry and Mungos could use her spells, though she would get a percentage of anything created by them and shared first rights to use them with those that had created the spells with her. She went to Gringotts and was astonished at how large her bank account already was. She had a small pile of gold glimmering in the torchlight.

"We have deducted the amount you borrowed." The goblins said and Lily nodded. The patent on spells lasted for a hundred years, after that the spells became communal property. Ministry officials, or healers often used newer spells. The Ministry paid the fee when it was used either in the Ministry, or Saint Mungos. Private citizens could use the spells as well, as long as they were willing to pay the fees of patented spells. Most never bothered to get their spells patented, as most weren't spell casters. There were also those that the Unspeakables worked with on a contract bases. Lily took out a bag and cast a two directional spell, which made gold always go from her vault to her bag, replacing the galleons as they were used. She also cast a spell that ensured that the bag would only open to her magical core. "I will need a monthly balance upon my account, sent by owl, what is the current balance?"

"Five hundred galleons, three hundred sickles and twenty seven knuts. We assumed that you would prefer that your funds be changed from the lowest denomination to the highest, as you earn more. What did you do to the bag?"

"That's fine, as for the bag, I made it refill automatically with galleons as I spend them." Lily said and the goblin nodded.

"We might be interested in setting up a trade."

"If I were to sell these bags, it would be in my own shop. I'm tired of having others profit from my work." She then turned around and left her vault then and picked up a self-updating ledger, before apparating back to the house. Lily then sent out several letters to those she knew had been asked to work for the Unspeakables. Of the four letters she sent, only Pandora Lovegood responded, saying that she would be willing to meet with both Marleen and Lily when Marleen left the hospital. After that she took Harry into her arms and walked around looking at what if anything Severus had purchased. There was only baby food in the cupboard, mostly applesauce and soft pastas. It was clear that Severus hadn't been caring for himself properly. Still Harry looked a lot healthier than he had, before she'd succumbed to her bout of magical exhaustion.

Lily smiled at the little boy and looked around, finding that the crib was set up, but there was still no pram, or anything other than the formula and the few toys the boy owned. She apparated to Diagon Alley and walked to the toy store.

She shifted Harry in her arms, as she walked down the isles. "He's gone down for his nap then?" A Indian woman holding two children that looked about Harry's age greeted her. "It seems when the first nods off, the second wakes up." She shook her head and the little girls both smiled at Lily, before saying something to their mother, who responded to them. "We're teaching them Hindi first, we want them to know where their family is from."

"They are adorable, what are their names?"

"Padma and Pavarti." The woman responded. "I am Lakshmi."

"Its nice to meet you." Lily said and smiled. "I'm picking up a pram for Harry and a few toys, once he wakes up." Lily said and shifted Harry in her arms slightly, as he drooled into her shoulder.

"I could help you look."

"Thank you." Lily said and they went together to look at the prams, she decided on which one she wanted and got the store manager to put it up front for her. She then woke Harry and smiled down at the child.

"Mama, no nap more?" Harry demanded.

"I'm done napping for now." Lily said and set Harry down among the toys, which were open for children to play with. Harry went over to a stuffed dragon and started making roaring noises. Lily smiled and grabbed another stuffed toy playing with Harry. Harry lost interest in the game and started building a tower with the blocks. He giggled as it crashed down and Lily smiled, watching him as she looked at picture books. One was called The Boy Who Lived and Lily frowned, she read the book and it was about a little boy who did impossible magic, even though he was a baby. Still there was freedom of press and people had the freedom to write what they wanted. It bothered her however, that this book depicted Harry as a magical wonder, rather than the little boy he was. She watched him as she looked through the other picture books, settling on ten she liked the best. She also bought the blocks, stuffed dragon and a no mess paint set, which would only paint on the special paper that was included with it.

She brought the supplies up to the front and paid for what she had bought. She then put Harry into the pram and set everything but the dragon in the extended space below the pram. She pushed Harry to the craft shop up the street next and bought a bolt of black velvet fabric, as well as a bolt of black silk and cotton, as well as a sewing machine. She then walked to Fortescues and strapped Harry into a highchair, before looking at both menus. She ordered a burger for Harry and herself and cut it up for the boy, when it came. He looked upset when she started to put the dragon back in the pram while he ate. "Why doesn't Scales sit over here, you don't want him getting dirty after all." Lily said and smiled as Harry grabbed the burger and shoved it into his mouth. Lily ate her own lunch, watching Harry as she did and enjoying the day. When they had finished lunch, she bought a Sunday and fed spoonfuls of it to Harry, as she ate it. After she finished, she paid and stood from the table. She bought floo powder and went back to Severus' place.

She found Severus snoring loudly on the couch and put Harry in his crib, as she sewed bags for several hours. She then added the spells to them and put color changing charms on them. After that she tidied away the supplies and ate dinner with Harry. She then put Harry in his crib and sang him a lullaby, she watched as he fell asleep and smiled at the little boy. She then placed a silencing spell over him and kissed his forehead gently, before going back to her sewing project. She worked until ten, before she recast the spell on Severus and levitated him up the stairs, taking him to his room. She went back for Harry and settled his crib in the same room. She then climbed into bed, wrapping her arms around Severus and fell asleep.


End file.
